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May 5, 2009

Leading Canadian AIDS Researcher to Join American Institute

Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, one of Canada’s premier AIDS researchers, is moving his work from Montreal to the United States because of better funding in America, CBC News reports. Sékaly was chosen to be scientific director of the new Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Florida.

“I think if you really want to prevent other scientists from leaving this country, this great country, you really need to reinvest massively into basic sciences,” said Sékaly, who has published more than 200 articles in such scientific journals as Nature, Nature Medicine and the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The Canadian researcher is optimistic about the move, saying that he expects to more than double his $3.5 million research budget because of President Barack Obama’s efforts to boost funding for science.

In January, the Canadian government called for $147.9 million in budget cuts over three years to three agencies that provide research grants to universities.

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